You should grill your next pizza

Forget the oven, the absolute best way to cook pizza at home is on a hot grill. If you’ve tried pizza cooked on your bbq, you’re probably nodding your head in agreement. If you’ve yet to try grilled pizza, you’re in for a real treat. Unlike ovens, which can only reach temperatures around 450°F, grills can get as high as 600°F. That’s not quite as hot as an actual pizza oven, but it’s getting there. The grills high direct heat is perfect for making crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside pizza bases. It’s also a great way to impress your friends!

Grilling your own pizza is not that difficult, but it does require a bit of preparation and excellent timing. Here’s how to do it right:

Equipment:

A gas or charcoal grill
A brush
Tongs
A wide spatula

Ingredients:

Store-bought or homemade pizza dough
1/2 a cup of your favourite tomato sauce
Shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Your favourite toppings

Method:

Step 1: Heat up your grill

Your going to want to get your grill as hot as possible. Ideally it should be set at 600°F, but as close as possible is fine. If you’re using gas leave one burner off. If your using charcoal push your coals to one side.

Step 2: Prep your dough

Flatten out your dough and brush one side with olive oil and season with some kosher salt

Step 3: Get ready!

Make sure you have all your toppings, sauces, and cheese set up near the fire, that pizza is going to cook fast.

Step 4: Start cooking!

Put the pizza base, oiled side down, onto the hot part of the grill. Immediately, brush oil onto the top side and season with kosher salt. Flip the pizza over once the bottom is dark brown and starting to char. This should only take about a minute. Once the other side is brown, flip the pizza again and move it to the cooler part of the grill

Step 5: Add your toppings

Apply a thin layer of tomato sauce to the pizza, add your cheese and whatever toppings you like. I added sausage, peppers, and shallots to mine, but feel free to get creative.

Step 6: Cook

Put the grill lid on and cook the pizza for a few minutes. There really isn’t a set length of time for cooking the pizza, just take it off the heat when the cheese has melted.

Step 7: Tuck in!